1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a contents estimating system for insurance claim processing in which an estimate of the cost of settling an insurance claim is made and reviewed by an insured at the insured's location or the location of the loss.
2. Background and Related Art
It has long been desirable to produce an estimate of the cost of settling an insurance claim, and to communicate that cost to the insured, as quickly and accurately as possible. The cost of settling an insurance claim becomes a benefit payable to the insured from the insured's point of view. The insured is consequently anxious to receive it.
Suffering losses is a traumatic event for an insured. A loss of ones personal belongings due, for example, to theft, fire or vandalism may well leave the insured feeling devastated and violated. An insurer can help alleviate the insured's suffering by offering information about how the loss will be rectified. Such information offers the insured a basis for planning, a starting point, and resources to use and a path to take towards resumption of the insured's normal affairs. Such information is time-sensitive in that it is most valuable immediately upon discovery by the insured of his or her loss, and loses value as time goes on. An estimate of the cost of settling an insurance claim delivered a week after a loss, for example, is less valuable to the insured than an estimate delivered the day after, especially if the insured has called the insurer several times in the interim. The speed with which an insurance adjuster reacts by providing the insured with an estimate of the cost of settling an insurance claim is thus a positive benefit that is readily apparent to the insured. It is therefore desirable from a competitive business standpoint to communicate an estimate of the cost of settling a claim to the insured as quickly and accurately as possible.
Furthermore, an estimate of the cost of settling a claim is communicated ideally in a face-to-face meeting, preferably immediately upon discovery of the loss, since the chance of mis-communication and delays due to mail delivery time, telephone contact time, and other events are thereby reduced. Such a face-to-face meeting may occur at the insured's location or the location at which the loss occurred. An insurance adjuster however, should not expect to make use of the insured's facilities such as telephones when visiting the insured at the insured's location or the location at which the loss occurred. First of all, the insured may not have a telephone or electricity if, for example, the loss resulted from a major disaster such as a fire or a hurricane. And even if the insured has such facilities, it is better from a business standpoint to avoid using them, if possible. Thus there exists a need for an apparatus and method to estimate the cost of settling an insurance claim at the insured's location or the location at which the loss occurred which avoids the need to use the insured's resources.
Systems to estimate the cost of settling an insurance claim are commonly understood to be contents estimating systems. Contents estimating systems, however, have heretofore been dependent on a dedicated connection to a central data storage and analysis facility. Such contents estimating systems are therefore unsuitable for disconnectable contents estimation, where access to a central data storage and analysis facility was unavailable, difficult, or otherwise discouraged.
Contents estimation is often conducted, at least initially, by phone. The insured calls the insurer upon discovery of an insured loss, or shortly thereafter, and communicates to the insurer a list of the lost items. The lost items are often organized and listed by the rooms of a house as a memory aid, and to help the insured visualize the lost items. The insurer then refers to pricing resources such as ‘Insurer's World®’ or retail price data to estimate the cost of replacing the lost items. The insurer applies depreciation and taxes to the costs, producing an estimate of the cost of settling the insurance claim, which is then communicated to the insured. Since the known contents estimating systems rely on sources of information that are necessarily centrally located, such contents estimation would be difficult to do at the insured's location or at the location of the loss.
Since the contents estimation process is relatively time consuming, such contents estimation would generally be done after the conversation with the insured has ended. The estimate of the cost of settling the insurance claim would then be communicated to the insured by phone or mail, or carried to the insured's site by a claims adjuster, necessitating a delay in the claims settlement process. If the insured has neglected to list items, or if the listed contents are otherwise incomplete or contain errors, the contents estimation must be performed again at the central location, at least with respect to the new or corrected items. Such further contents estimation entails delays that annoy and frustrate the insured. It is therefore desirable to be able to deliver an accurate estimate of the cost of settling a claim at the insured's location or the location at which the loss occurred, without resorting further to a central database.
A related technology is exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,182 to Nehab, et al., incorporated herein by reference. Nehab describes a data retrieval system for the World Wide Web. Nehab retrieves information automatically from hypermedia documents based on a match between the structure of the documents and a personalized data retrieval structure.
A second related technology is exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,061,686 and 5,991,760 to Gauvin, et al., the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. Gauvin describes a system of updating a copy of a remote document stored on a client computing system when the client computer is connected to a network. In Gauvin, for example, a copy of a remote document is downloaded to a client computer upon command. The copy is accessible and modifiable on the client computer while the client computer is disconnected from the network. The copy is then updated periodically whenever the local computer re-connects to keep it in conformance with the remote document.
A third related technology is exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,963,952 to Smith, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Smith describes a disconnect/connect Internet browser based data entry system in which the browser stores a file locally for later viewing.
A fourth related technology is exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,930,512 to Boden, et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Boden describes an automated system of process modeling using both a web server and a workflow server for process definition. Boden is concerned with connecting Internet servers and workflow servers so as to provide a workflow server, which utilizes Internet resources. Boden uses a workflow insurance process as an example. Boden models an application for life insurance through the sales and the underwriting departments of an insurance company.
A fifth related technology is exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,905,988 to Schwartz, et al. the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Schwartz describes transforming database information into a presentation network topology for seamless serial presentation of selected data items to a user.